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During a recent podcast, England’s star wicketkeeper-batter Jos Buttler shared an awkward yet slightly amusing moment involving his wife, Louise Buttler, and South African legend AB de Villiers. The conversation offered a light glimpse into the off-field interactions between cricketers which fans rarely get to know.
Buttler recalls special post-match moment with his cricket idol during IPL
In conversation with Stuart Broad on the YouTube channel For the Love of Cricket, Buttler recounted a memorable moment during the Indian Premier League (IPL) when he was playing for Mumbai Indians (MI) against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the Wankhede Stadium. Both teams happened to be staying at the same hotel, and it was common for players to gather at the bar after matches for a drink. Earlier that day at the ground, de Villiers, someone Buttler considers a hero, had told him they should catch up for a beer. It was a dream moment for Buttler, finally getting a chance to spend time with one of his idols.
After the match, he quickly returned to the hotel, took a shower, got changed, and headed straight to the bar. Though excited, he tried to play it cool, despite the nerves kicking in. Meeting AB off the field was a big deal, and Buttler just wanted to make sure he didn’t mess it up.
“We were in Mumbai playing for Mumbai Indians playing against RCB at the Wankhede Stadium. Both teams were staying at the same hotel. Lot of players will sport of congregate in the bar after the match and just have a drink. At the ground AB has said to me let’s have a beer. He is my hero and i got a chance to meet him. So I got back took a quick shower and get changed and went straight to the bar. Like i know I’m nervous but just play it cool,” Buttler said in the podcast.
Buttler shares amusing hotel bar moment with AB de Villiers
Buttler went on to describe the moment he and his wife, Louise, finally met AB at the hotel bar. As they walked in, AB was already there and casually asked what they wanted to drink. Buttler ordered a beer but remained mostly quiet, feeling a bit nervous in the presence of his cricketing idol. Then, out of nowhere, Louise turned to AB and asked, “So, what part of New Zealand are you from?”
Buttler was stunned. Internally, he panicked, wondering how to recover from the awkward moment. He couldn’t believe it, De Villiers, one of South Africa’s most iconic sports figures, had just been mistaken for a New Zealander. That night, Buttler went to bed convinced that AB would never speak to him again. Despite the mix-up, he laughed about it in hindsight and still spoke highly of de Villiers, calling him a brilliant player.
“So we got in there, and there he is — yeah, what do you want to drink? I’m having a beer. I wasn’t really saying much because I was just… a bit nervous. And then Lou just goes, ‘Oh, so what part of New Zealand are you from?’ I heard that and thought, ‘Oh my God…’ How do I even rescue this? He’s one of South Africa’s most famous sportspeople, and my wife just asked him what part of New Zealand he’s from! I went to bed that night thinking, ‘He’s never going to speak to me again.’ But yeah, he’s a brilliant player,” Buttler concluded.
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